Talian Valinar
Jedi Knight, Rebel Lieutenant Exploits Delivered Leia (on schedule) to Darth Vader... oops :o Personally pissed Darth Vader off and lived to tell the tale (no apologies necessary Captain Needa) :P Rescued Mon Mothma so that she could later be imprisoned on Chandrilla... well done :D Intruded on Luke Skywalker's privacy from 10 000 ly away... PS Sorry about your sister :/ Personal Logs Logging is for Lumberjacks... har har Holoimage Database Background Talian Valinar was born 20 years ago amidst the stunning natural beauty of Crevasse City, built within and along the breathtaking walls of the Great Crevasse Gorge on Alderaan. His father Dalan – a Philosopher-Magister in the City – and his mother Elana – an Operatta Divah of moderate renown – could not have been more proud. But they were both busy with their careers, and as a result, Talian and his younger sister Talina spent most of their childhood raising each other. They were, of course, very close and spent many hours’ happily skipping rocks and exploring the many ravines and woodlands of the beautiful Crevasse area. But Mr. and Mrs. Valinar did care greatly for their children, and as often as they could, would arrange family outings into the hinterlands of Crevasse City. And it was on one of these outings that one of the most important events of Talian’s life occurred... One fine summers’ day when Talian was 8, he and his family went for a hike into the ravines on the east side of town, near the Castle Land Mountains. While hiking in a particularly deep gulley, a sudden rock slide collapsed the path, broke his sister’s leg, and left his whole family stranded on a treacherous outcropping. Talian was able to leap away, and he quickly ran to get help. Just as quickly, he came across a curious old man who had been strolling through the area and had come running at the sound of the distressed shouts. Talian quickly led him back to his anxious family, at which point the old man proceeded to nimbly balance and hop his way along the crumbling rock face to carry Talian’s family to safety one at a time... all without breaking a sweat. Needless to say, the old man had earned the unquestioning respect and gratitude of the entire family, but more than that, he had earned an undying fan in young Talian. When the amazed boy excitedly insisted the gentleman reveal his identity, it was to the Valinar’s confusion when he revealed that he was Master Kion Draz of the Killikan Monastery: the last School on the planet to still instruct its students in a Martial Art, in the Way of the Peaceful Warrior. The Valinar’s had heard the tales of the nearby Monastery and its violent inhabitants who barbarically clung to ancient practices of savage brutality by training for war and combat. But here was this calm, peaceful man who had courageously risked his life to save theirs standing in front of them, defying their thoughts and opinions. So they were forced to forget what they thought they knew and look on a Monk of Killikan with an open mind and an open heart. They accepted Master Draz’s invitation to be brought to the Monastery for medical attention and transportation. Once at the Monastery, they were amazed at how different it was from their expectations: instead of bloodstained walls with half-feral proto-humanoids smashing each other’s skulls into the ground, they were surrounded by industrious and polite men and women mundanely and methodically performing chores, meditating peacefully, and executing exacting sequences of disciplined movements in perfect unison. Everyone was kind and attentive to their needs, and Master Draz himself treated Talina’s injury most skilfully with a blend of modern medical equipment and ancient energy healing. Talian fell in love instantly with everything he saw – from that moment onwards, he knew exactly what he was born to do, and where he was meant to be. So when he asked Master Draz for permission to stay and study the Way, his parents were shocked and dismayed initially, but eventually seeing the passion and excitement that had been awoken in their beloved child, relented and allowed their son to stay. Master Draz said it would be such a pleasure to teach someone as excited as Talian, that he would consider it complete repayment for the aid he had given them that day. The next twelve years of Talian’s life were the most gruelling, strenuous, and satisfying of his life. He trained most relentlessly and with amazing dedication. He saw his family regularly throughout the period: they became unofficial advocates of the Monastery and the Way amongst the general populace of Alderaan, and for this Master Draz was additionally grateful. Talian learned many amazing things from Master Draz, and physical combat was only the most superficial component: Talian learned self-discipline, self-respect, and most importantly self-knowledge. He learned there was so much more to Martial Arts than kicking and punching, he understood exactly how such a pursuit had a place on a world of complete peace, and he felt that it could ultimately be the vehicle that spread that peace to all corners of the galaxy. He developed great dreams of establishing Monasteries on many other planets in the Empire, and eventually he earned the title of Dedicated to the Way: meaning he had reached the first of the Seven Levels of Mastery of the Way. But sadly all of this changed in an instant when, on the day on his 20th birthday, his beloved home world was all but destroyed by the stray blast from the Death Star. He was at the Monastery at the time, preparing to journey home to visit his family, when the news came in that a great space battle was actually being waged in the magnetosphere of his own peaceful planet. Everyone’s eyes naturally turned to the Heaven’s where the massive outline of the dreaded Death Star faded into view as it arrived in orbit. And so Talian was looking straight at the technological terror when it fired that fateful shot from its terrible super weapon towards the hapless world below. He watched in fascination as the sickly green beam lanced out of the heavens and pierced his world straight to its heart... then he recoiled in horror as he began to see that world shatter and erupt before his own eyes. The Monastery, being situated higher up along a mountain slope, was spared from the instant devastation induced in most places across Alderaan. But from their elevated vantage, the Monks could already see the plumes of lava erupting for miles into the air straight out of the Great Crevasse. Talian wasted no more time: he desperately rushed back to Crevasse City to be with his family. Master Draz warned him not to – that he could do nothing and would either waste himself in the attempt, or have to live with the image of their corpses burned into his mind. But he simply could not give up on his own family. So he hurried off to the City on a speeder and arrived just in time to see the great City beginning to collapse into the river of molten lava that was rapidly filling the Great Crevasse. He foolishly charged into the disintegrating city to frantically search for his family, scouring the streets and sustaining serious burns all over his body... but their home had already been swallowed and his family was nowhere to be seen. In frustration and sorrow, he stood in front of the flood of lava, preparing to hurl himself into the burning flow. But he was distracted at that moment by a Corellian ‘merchant’ (read: smuggler) named Del Devrone trapped under burning rubble and waiting for death himself. Devrone, being a persuasive and lively man, re-awakened Talian’s desire to live and talked him out of self-annihilation, convincing him that they could both escape aboard his freighter, the Payload, anchored in spaceport nearby. So Talian heedlessly plunged his arms directly through the open flames melting Devrone into his soon-to-be tomb, and pulled him to safety. So in one final desperate rush, Devrone and Talian - gathering a group of survivors on their way – successfully navigated the perilous gauntlet to the Payload, and made it out aboard, escaping the melting city and their certain deaths by the skin of their teeth. Del was already a Rebel associate, and the only place he knew to bring himself, the half-deceased Talian, and the wounded survivors to treat their injuries was to the Alliance. So he brought them to the Alliance Capital Ship Redemption. Once there, Talian received extensive treatment that substantially – but not completely – healed his burns, while Devrone and the other survivors told tales of his reckless heroics charging straight into the city sinking in a river of fire. Being suitably impressed, and welcoming any new recruits, the Rebels offered Talian a position. And, having nowhere else to go, and nothing to do but fight to prevent other planets from suffering the same fate as Alderaan, Talian accepted and joined the Rebel Alliance. Where he goes from there, only his fate shall tell!